Amy is frustrated with the status of her relationship with Sheldon, but refuses to give up. When a work experiment is presented that could relieve some of her physical tension, she is overjoyed. Little does she know, this move may just push Sheldon to overcome his fear of intimacy.

A/N: I, of course, own nothing. All hail Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, and Steve Molaro.

Chapter 1

"So, I finally told my mom she can clip her own toenails" Sheldon, Raj, and Leonard looked at Howard with a mouthful of partially chewed food, trying hard to swallow, with that disgusting mental picture.

Leonard put his fork down. "Well, after that story, I think lunch is over".

"I have work to do anyways" Sheldon said as he was getting up to throw his remaining food away and head back to his office.

"Oh, come on guys, it's not that bad. She does mine too!" Howard tried to smooth over the story he just told.

Leonard and Raj stood up and followed started to follow Sheldon "Dude, not at the lunch table!" Raj chastised. They all left the cafeteria and headed back to work.

"Bunch of babies" Howard said happily eating the remainder of his lunch.

Sheldon was about to enter his office, after splitting up with Raj and Leonard, when he heard rustling coming from inside. "Kripke!" he said in an angry but hushed tone. Kripke was always lurking around seeing what Sheldon was up to.

"AH, HA!" Sheldon yelled as he violently swung the door open. The moment his eyes focused, he was instantly surprised.

"Amy? What are you doing here? I am sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you, I thought you were Kripke" he said half-smiling.

"No, it's okay, I should have told you I was coming by" Amy reassured him. "Well anyways, I have been asked by the CalTech Neuroscience department to collaborate on an experiment with Dr. Noah Evans. I am here to meet with him and find out more about the experiment. I am due to meet him in 15 minutes so I wanted to pop in and see my Cuddles".

"Amy, please! I told you to stop referring to me as Cuddles. It was one time! And Dr. Evans is a bit of a know-it-all. He walks around here like he's a GQ model. Honestly, it makes my skin crawl."

Amy smiled, knowing she hit a nerve with the Cuddles comment. She didn't know how to respond about Dr. Evans. They sat silence for a few minutes then Sheldon got back to work on his whiteboard, doodling away. As Amy intently watched him, she felt so proud knowing how smart her boyfriend is. "Well, I have to get going. I don't want to be late. I will see you on Thursday for date night, yes?"

"It's the 3rd Thursday of the month, so yes I will see you then." Sheldon confirmed.

"I will Skype you later on to let you know how the meeting goes." Amy said and then gave Sheldon a peck on the cheek. Sheldon rolled his eyes but remained silent despite his protest on the display of affection.

"Hello, you must be Dr. Evans, it's nice to meet you. I am Dr. Fowler."

She understood the GQ comment Sheldon made now. He was middle-aged, tall, medium build, olive complexion, side-swept dark brown hair, and green eyes that resembled emeralds. She had pictured a much older, much less attractive man.

"Well, shall we get down to business Dr. Fowler, please have a seat and make yourself comfortable"

"Thank you" Amy said, a little nervously.

"Dr. Fowler, I know you are at the top of your field. I have read many of your papers, which is why I wanted to work with you on this specific experiment."

"Thank you, I am flattered" Amy blushed.

"This topic is considered controversial and a highly-regarded neurobiologist such as yourself would be a great benefit to the study. We are looking to achieve the female orgasm by planting electrodes in the spine that stimulates the orbitofrontal cortex in the brain, causing a state of anhedonia. It has been conducted by Oxford University in the UK, but it has not been done as of yet in the US. We have a test subject that has been screened and is willing to participate. We could get started as soon as tomorrow, should you agree."

"I am familiar with the concept. I participated in a similar study a few years ago, although it did not involve the spine. I am very intrigued and would be happy to participate". Amy replied. She probably shouldn't mention that she was the test subject.

"That is great news Dr. Fowler. I am happy to work with you. Let's meet in my lab just down the hall tomorrow morning at 9 A.M."

"Thank you, I look forward to it" Amy was walking out the door and was headed to the car. She felt excited to be working on this project. She was unsure if it would be successful but she felt hopeful. She made a mental note not to tell Sheldon about it just yet, she knew how overbearing he could be and did not want him interfering with her work. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.